Osceola mall to become Plaza del Sol

Center will be geared to Hispanic market

KISSIMMEE — A Canadian company that owns struggling Osceola Square Mall is turning the retail center into a "Latin village" that will have salsa concerts and other events to cater mostly to Hispanic shoppers.

Some stores at the newly branded Plaza del Sol will sellitems aimed at Hispanics, such as dresses for the debutante event of a girl's life: the "quinceañera,"or 15th birthday. Grand Mart, a grocer featuring Hispanic foods, is slated to open this summer in a spot once occupied by Beall's.

It's all in an attempt to lure more shoppers such as Lourdes Ochoa, a Celebration resident who was checking out the new Fallas clothing store Tuesday to see whether the retailer is "as cheap as they say." The store features bilingual signs in each department, directing shoppers to sections for "niños" (boys) or "zapatos" (shoes).

Osceola County is a logical place for a mall focused on Hispanic consumers. Nearly half of Osceola County's 299,000 residents are Hispanic, as are six in 10 residents of Kissimmee, the U.S. Census Bureau says. That's compared with about one in four Floridians.

"Those communities are underserved," said Arturo Adonay, a marketing consultant who specializes in reaching the Hispanic market. "The theme is Latin, but we are not exclusive; we will be inclusive."

The mall's owners also are tapping two rising business trends: microretailing and incubation.

They plan to offer small shops with low lease rates where would-be entrepreneurs can chase their own American dream. And they will coach the retailers and connect them with suppliers in an attempt to grow shops that can one day be bigger tenants for the mall.

"There's a real entrepreneurial spirit amongst the [Hispanic] community," said Bill Best, principal of Toronto-based Bayshore Capital, which is behind the project. "That's one of the reasons this works and has worked successfully."

The microtenant concept has surfaced at other malls, including Festival Bay Mall on International Drive, where small booths are being marketed to entrepreneurs as part of an "artisan" village.

Monthly rent in Plaza del Sol's small-shop "mercado" will start at $450 for a 10-foot-by-10-foot booth, and the mall's owners hope to eliminate many of the barriers faced by traditional retailers, including multiyear leases. If the concept works, Bayshore could roll it out to other projects throughout the country.

Guillermo Hansen, founder of Kissimmee's Hispanic Business Council, sees the concept as a strong one. There is a prevalence in the Hispanic community toward starting businesses, and small booths could provide a chance to do it with less risk.

"This is the opportunity to try it to see if it's working without losing too much," Hansen said. "I have mentioned it to some friends and business friends — and everybody wants one."

For shopkeeper Mannira Basaria, who has sold perfume at the mall for 23 years, it's worth trying. Her venture has suffered in recent years, but she doesn't want to give up on the place she calls her second home.

"I hope big change is coming," she said. "I'll wait one more year and see."